Princes' Gates

Often incorrectly called the Princess Gates; they were built in 1927 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Canadian Confederation and stand at Strachan Avenue and Lakeshore Blvd, the eastern end of the Exhibition Grounds.

Designed by Chapman and Oxley Architects in a Beaux-Arts style, they were constructed of a mix of stone and concrete. The nine pillars on either side of the main arch represent the Canadian provinces at the time of construction. On the top of the central arch is the statue 'Goddess of Winged Victory'. It was designed by architect Alfred Chapman and carved by Charles McKechnie. On either side of central arch are various figures representing progress, industry, agriculture, arts and science.

Originally they were going to be called "The Diamond Jubilee of Confederation Gates" but when it turned out princes Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII), and George (later The Duke of Kent), were going to officialy open the gates, the name was changed. The opening ceremony was held on August 31, 1927, with a Veterans Parade the first to pass through.

By 1986 it was clear that the Winged Victory statue was in very bad shape, so it was taken down and replaced the next year with an exact scale, glass-reinforced polymer plastic copy. The nine north coumns were replaced in 2004, with work on the rest of structure in 2010.

• Short URL to share for Princes Gates historic photos: wholemap.com/PrincesGates
• Address for Princes Gates: 11 Princes' Blvd, Toronto, Ontario, Canada - M6K 3C3
• Latitude, Longitude for Princes Gates: 43.63491222177124, -79.40846941231699

 
 

List of all subjects. You can also see all the historic photos for a given neighbourhood. We also have a list of all the photos arranged by date.

And you can also go up a level to see the other photos we've put under the category of ornamental gate photos.

Historic photos of Princes Gates

1927		Illuminated Princes Gates at night 98 years ago - CNE - 1927 Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1927		Prince of Wales entrance [Princes' Gates] 98 years ago - CNE - 1927 Link to archive record - Map location (From Archives of Ontario)
1927		Prince of Wales opens the Princes' Gates in 1927 98 years ago - CNE - Wednesday, August 31, 1927 Max temp: 23.3°C - Min temp: 15.0°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1928		Princes' Gate with balloon overhead and the Warriors Parade passing through the gates 97 years ago - CNE - Saturday, August 25, 1928 Max temp: 22.2°C - Min temp: 11.1°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1928		Main Arch - Prince of Wales entrance, Exhibition Grounds with roller coaster in background 97 years ago - CNE - Wednesday, May 23, 1928 Max temp: 13.9°C - Min temp: 7.8°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1929		Full view of the Princes' Gates from the north 96 years ago - CNE - Monday, August 12, 1929 Max temp: 25.0°C - Min temp: 14.4°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1930		Cyclists lined up for race, CNE 95 years ago - CNE - 1930 Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1931		Veterans on parade through the Princes' Gates at the opening of the Ex 94 years ago - CNE - Monday, September 14, 1931 Max temp: 27.8°C - Min temp: 20.6°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location
1933		Lakeshore Park looking northwest to Princes' Gates 92 years ago - CNE - Tuesday, October 24, 1933 Max temp: 3.9°C - Min temp: 0.6°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1935		Princes' Gates illumination at night with fireworks in the background 90 years ago - CNE - 1935 Link to archive record - Map location (From the Toronto Public Library)
1935		Debris from under base of south flagpole Princes' Gates, C.N.E. 90 years ago - CNE - Thursday, July 18, 1935 Max temp: 31.7°C - Min temp: 17.2°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1937		Crowds inside the Princes' Gate - looking east - Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) 88 years ago - CNE - Thursday, September 9, 1937 Max temp: 26.1°C - Min temp: 12.2°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the Library and Archives Canada)
1938		Closeup of pedestal base and a character - Princes Gates 87 years ago - CNE - Friday, March 25, 1938 Max temp: 7.8°C - Min temp: 0.6°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1938		Goddess of Winged Victory atop main arch of the CNE Princes' Gates 87 years ago - CNE - Friday, March 25, 1938 Max temp: 7.8°C - Min temp: 0.6°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1938		Pieces from base of main figure - Goddess of Winged Victory - Princes Gate 87 years ago - CNE - Friday, March 25, 1938 Max temp: 7.8°C - Min temp: 0.6°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1939		Close-up of Princes' Gates looking west 86 years ago - CNE - Saturday, April 1, 1939 Max temp: 8.3°C - Min temp: 1.7°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1951		Princess Gates - Lakeshore Boulevard looking southwest from east of Strachan Avenue 74 years ago - CNE - Thursday, March 8, 1951 Max temp: 2.2°C - Min temp: -2.8°C (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1953		Aerial night view of the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) 72 years ago - CNE - 1953 Link to archive record - Map location (From Archives of Ontario)
1965		CNEs first marathon car rally - car 305, leaving CNE grounds via Princes' Gates 60 years ago - CNE - 1965 Link to archive record - Map location (From the City of Toronto Archives)
1974		Restoring the 12-foot-high winged figure atop Princes' Gate - Attilio Gandri working 85 feet above the ground 51 years ago - CNE - Monday, July 15, 1974 Link to archive record - Map location (From the Toronto Public Library)
2010		Scaffolding on the Princes' Gates in 2010 15 years ago - CNE - Sunday, December 5, 2010 Max temp: °C - Min temp: °C - 1.9cm of snowfall (weather details) Link to archive record - Map location